News and Notes: MLS 2012 [R]

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Eddie Johnson is headed back to MLS. For real, this time.

After spending three-and-a-half years in
Europe and six months searching for a another club abroad, Johnson
agreed to a contract with MLS on Thursday. The 27-year-old forward will
go into the league allocation process, and his new team will be
determined on Friday.

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Colorado Rapids head coach Oscar Pareja made it public that his team
wants Eddie Johnson, a former US international who signed an MLS contract on
Thursday.

“If the opportunity comes to us, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] “I’m very happy with what we have, but I’m very conscious of having Conor [Casey] out for a time.”

The allocation process will determine where EJ ends on later today and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], meaning they will have to hope other teams choose to opt out, or they might have to trade up.

Do you think David Ferreira could've used this last year?

Of course, MLS has made this statement before, only for the refs to forget about this directive about twenty minutes into the season...

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“We remain concerned about player safety and the frequent nature of certain challenges,” Nelson Rodriguez,
MLS’s executive vice president of competition and game operations, told
the Insider. “As a result, and as part of an overall disciplinary code,
we’ll put players and clubs on notice that, if this continues, they
will be met with a more active disciplinary body.”

That means the five-member disciplinary committee will penalize
players for over-aggressive tackles — even if no injury is suffered and
no yellow or red card issued.

In the past, injuries were usually the threshold for disciplininary action on plays not witnessed by the referee. Not anymore.

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After picking Brian Ching from Houston in the expansion draft only to
deal him back to the Dynamo for a draft pick, the Impact used their
place atop the MLS allocation order to select Eddie Johnson before
promptly dealing him to the Seattle Sounders.

In return, the Impact received forward Mike Fucito and winger Lamar
Neagle, while Johnson's latest attempt to resurrect his career will take
place at CenturyLink Field as a complement to Fredy Montero. The last
two players to have gone through the allocation process have both wound
up in Seattle, as the Sounders traded up to snag Sammy Ochoa last
August.

Good stuff.

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Orlando joins the race for MLS Team #20.

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Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber is coming to Orlando on March
1 to discuss the City Beautiful as a future potential MLS expansion
market. Garber will meet with the club’s owners, community leaders
including Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, as well as the Orlando City fans and
media, in a packed day of meetings.

“While New York City remains the League’s focus for our 20th Club, it’s
important to continue evaluating future options as we continue to grow
the League,” said Commissioner Garber. “This growth has been built on a
foundation of strategic expansion strategies and a growing passionate
soccer fan base across North America. As such, I’ve been impressed with
Orlando City’s success on- and off-the-field and look forward to
meeting with local supporters and speaking directly with key public
officials about the future of professional soccer in Orlando.”

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Season 2, Episode 8

Peter and Nance go to their first Portland Timbers game and design a sign to root for the team from Portlandia

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A popular Internet video uploaded by a marketing professional seeking
his dream job claims to have unearthed the secret to making soccer one
of the United States’ most-loved sports.

Christopher Medley created a stir in the tight-knit U.S. soccer
community by insisting the sport could rival established favorites such
as football, basketball and baseball if television commentators did a
better job of educating their audience.

In a 13-minute video he sent to every major North American soccer writer
and commentator, Medley puts forward the notion that soccer could match
its rivals in popularity in the United States if broadcasts featured
more in-depth detail about the action.

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The quality of officiating in MLS has consistently come into the
limelight over the years, and the league and U.S. Soccer are taking a
step to try and rectify that issue.

The two organizations have teamed to create and fund [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
(PRO), which will begin its operations next month. PRO's mission is to
improve the quality of refereeing in the professional leagues in the
United States and Canada along with developing new referees at a higher
standard. Inside Minnesota Soccer [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] the creation of PRO last week.

Peter Walton, an English referee, has been chosen to spearhead the
program as its general manager. According to a U.S. Soccer release,
PRO's resources will allow for more to be devoted toward training
opporunities and the hiring of more full-time referees and technical
staffers. PRO will have referees in MLS, MLS reserve games, U.S. Open
Cup, NASL and USL Pro under its umbrella.

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For D.C. United, the resolution passed Tuesday by the D.C. city
council is a small step, but a step in the right direction nonetheless
toward keeping the club in the nation's capital for the long haul.

The Council of the District of Columbia [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.],
signed by council chairman Kwame Brown and councilmember Tommy Wells,
calling on local goverment officials to find a long-term solution to
prevent D.C. United from relocating.

D.C. United president and CEO Kevin Payne alluded to the resolution
being passed at the club's kickoff luncheon on Monday, where he also
added that an announcement regarding a new lease with RFK Stadium
operator Events D.C. was imminent.

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ESPN: It's interesting you mentioned smoke bombs, because
Houston Dynamo fans have been hit with sanctions in terms of what they
could bring in to opposition stadiums. That was a result of some
incidents with smoke bombs that took place at the end of last year. Do
you feel the hardcore supporters groups have done a good job of policing
themselves to make sure that nothing extreme happens?

DG:
I think the supporters groups are doing an incredible job of policing
themselves. I go [out to] every market, some of them are just remarkable
people; men and women of all ages who so believe in MLS and really get
the role that they play in elevating the league, and the responsibility
that they have to be role models and good leaders for other members of
their groups. There are others who are less engaged and we've had to
work with certain teams to make them aware that being a supporter is a
responsibility and it's a great position to be in to create an
environment that's incredibly passionate and special. But with that role
comes an obligation to be good leaders and police themselves properly.
We'd rather that they do it themselves than us have to get engaged with
them to force them to do it.

ESPN: As much
as everyone applauds those initiatives and that self-policing, how
worried are you that there might be a major incident involving rival
supporters?

DG: I think every pro sports league is
always mindful of fan behavior, and it's not limited to soccer, and
there's no shortage of fan issues in every professional sport. I think
there's sensitivity to soccer because of the history of challenges years
ago in Europe. I worry about lots of things. I don't think you can be
an effective commissioner without worrying about all sorts of things
happening. The best way to address and alleviate those concerns is to
have good procedures in place to deal with them if they occur, but, more
importantly, have really effective communication with people to help
them understand what we expect of them, and in many ways even empower
them with the responsibility of knowing that the future of the league, I
believe, will very much be based on the effective growth of passionate
supporters. If they really love our league, and want it to grow, then
they'll take the responsibility of being very, very mindful of ensuring
that they're behaving properly.

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The Chicago Fire is looking for 150 well-heeled soccer fans willing to
plunk down at least $6,500 per year to watch games from a new luxury
stadium club. Modeled after [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
seating available at European soccer stadiums, the Second Star Club
will offer valet parking, a private dining room and bar and exclusive
box seating at midfield.

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The tide has officially turned for soccer fans in the USA who love to
watch their own league. Last August, the announcement came that NBC
would be a
new television partner for Major League Soccer
starting in 2012. Many have been anxious and curious to see what would
happen as the transition was made from FOX Soccer to NBC.

Sunday, March 11th marked the debut of MLS coverage
on the NBC Sports Network. Right from the start at 3PM EDT (12 PDT), you
have to say that the entire production was top notch.

The graphics were bold and sharp, the theme music
was energetic and the live-on-the-field studio indicates that NBC has
taken this game seriously. The amount of information coming from their
hosts and experts was refreshing, and they did a spectacular job in
covering both teams.

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6. FC Dallas (1-0-0)
New-look FCD took it to the Red Bulls before holding on for the three
points, and when David Ferreira is fully fit, this club should have
plenty of influence on the Western Conference standings. But losing Shea
to the U-23s and suffering an apparent injury to Castillo puts pressure
on newcomer Carlos Rodriguez to supply attacking prowess from the
flanks.

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2. FC DALLAS (1-0-0) -- FCD acquired Ricardo Villar last year to replace David Ferreria when
necessary; the Brazilian seldom filled the bill in 2011. Against New York on Sunday, he and offseason acquisition Blas Perez carried the attack in a 2-1 victory. Perez’s
pressure deflected an attempt clearance to Zach Loyd, who scored the first goal, and Perez’s steal and setup provided Villar the ball he clipped home for the winner. Centerback
Hernan Pertuz looked strong and confident in his MLS debut.

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The Montreal Impact's first MLS home game drew 58,912 to the Olympic
Stadium, setting an attendance record for pro soccer in the Canadian
city.

The Impact crowd for a 1-1 tie with Chicago on Saturday
broke the record of 58,542 set by the Manic for a North American Soccer
League playoff game in 1981.

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7. FC DALLAS (1-0-1) -- Bryan Leyva
turned his first MLS appearance into a goal with a saved shot that forward Blas Perez banged into the net for his first league goal as FCD squandered a 1-0 lead to tie Portland, 1-1.
A Daniel Hernandez turnover provided Portland with the opportunity for its goal, and twice in the final minutes keeper Kevin Hartman turned away shots to preserve the
point. Carlos Rodriguez (Panama) has left the team to join Brek Shea (USA) on under-23 duty. Last week: 2.

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The Emerald City Supporters, Sounders FC's largest fan group, and
Redhook Brewery have partnered to create a new beer called No Equal
Amber Lager.

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The 2011 MLS Cup Champion LA Galaxy and Herbalife announced a record
10-year extension to their existing agreement that will see the global
nutrition company continue as the official presenting sponsor and jersey
sponsor of the Galaxy. The landmark extension to the partnership will
run through the 2022 MLS season and is valued at over $44 million,
making it the single largest and longest sponsorship agreement for an
MLS club in League history.

An interesting article on Herbalife on bigsoccer few weeks ago : [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]